johnph77's Blog

Ver. 7.3 tested, returned to client unchanged - no corrections and/or mods necessary. This was the largest of the three versions - to have it 100% correct in its last submissal gives me a good feeling. But now I'm out of work, unemployed.

Ver. 9 cancelled by client before approval to proceed. Ver. 10, if approved, now will be known as Ver. 9.

Ver. 6 may be returned for a modification.

Going to enjoy some time off, clean house, take care of some deferred items.

Complete and shipped, far ahead of schedule or even what I thought possible since the file was almost completely rebuilt from the ground up. Fully tested here, bells and whistles included. Now to wait for client acceptance, reaction, comments, maybe mods.

Will start work on Ver. 7 next.

Returned to client. Error in formula on first page caused glitch, and would have possibly been repeated if copied under certain conditions and uses - corrected. Version has been fully tested here and should require no client testing. Changes in appearance prompted version update. This should be complete.

Mod to Ver. 8 is next, shouldn't take long - already underway on laptop. Will be fully tested here before being returned.

Have received RFP on Ver. 10 - at first glance this looks to be almost as large a project as Ver. 7. Not sure if I want to take on a project of this size at this time as my calendar is filling up for the rest of this year but there would be a long lead time on this one.

Actually completed the structure for Ver. 8.0 while away but the test failed. I'll redo the formulas and retest. Also will add some bells and whistles - pretty the thing up.

Ver 6.5 returned by client, failed his field test. I'm starting to think that releasing this to the client before I completely tested it here was a mistake but there was a lot going on then.

Back to work tomorrow.

Back from Daytona Beach. finished in top half, out of the money. Good partner - we've parded before. Enjoyd the stay.

Met more than my share of idiots on this trip, both at the tournament and especially while traveling. Idiots is the wrong word - the correct word would be censored. More delays and snafus on this trip than I've ever experienced before. Really stretched the limits of my tolerance and patience. But I finally made it back OK - catching up on my reading files and correspondence.

Back to work tomorrow.

Off to Daytona tomorrow  - pinochle tournament, old and good friends. Be gone for about 10 days. As usual, I'll be taking the laptop with me and working when I'm not doing anything else.

Vastly different in execution from the original concept, the work on this project has started and the output format is similar to the other versions. I hadn't planned on starting on this before I left, but I had some spare time today - so be it. Looks promising. I'll be working on this while I'm away.

Client ID will be 2.8.168.9.6.6.

Ver 7.2 complete, returned.

Both files returned by client with additional change requests.

Ver 6.4 returned as Ver 6.5, change request complete.

Ver 7.2 returned as Ver 7.3, change request and mod complete. This file is actually smaller than the original - a pleasant surprise.

I really shouldn't see these files again but who knows?

Client ID on Ver. 6 - 1.10.162.9.6.4

Client ID on Ver. 7 - 2.16.168.50.40.0

No client ID has yet been established on Ver. 8 as it is still in the conceptual stage at present. There is a target, though. And it's still a road file for the time being.

I'm taking time off until I leave Monday.

Ver. 6.3 alteration complete, returned to client as Ver. 6.4 for field testing. I expect to conduct full tests on it as well - but after my next trip is over. Abbreviated tests returned normal and expected results. In actuality, this work could have been considered a change order as there was a change in client requirements. No problem, though, as they've been a good customer.

Ver. 7.1 returned for change order. This will take some time to complete but is not expected to significantly change the size of the file. It'll be returned as Ver. 7.2. I don't expect a full test of the file to be necessary as that was performed before Ver. 7.1 was shipped.

Client has his own numeric designators for these projects, which do not coincide with my Version (build) numbers. Sometimes, when dealing with his people, this can result in some confusion. I'll have to list them in the future. His numbers will not change with the Version numbers, as his numbering system indicates the target project with which the file is intended.

Ver 7.1 build complete, tested, demo version shipped. There are no bells and whistles in this version as there was in Ver. 6, making it slightly more difficult to use - hard-copy guide would be a plus - under development. I may revisit this, including the bells and whistles, in updated versions in the future. Also, there are things that Ver. 6 did that weren't, by design, included as a part of Ver 7 - I'll revisit that as well. But the two versions had different requirements and would be aimed at different targets from the start. On the other hand, data entry in Ver 7.1 is and will be slow, as can be expected in a spreadsheet of this size, and any increase in base size will not improve the situation.

Speaking of Ver. 6, after meeting with the client, I've issued a recall. A major mod is needed - it'll be incorporated and returned. Except for the needed mod the client reports performance is satisfactory and output is as expected.

Ver. 8 is now is expected to start out as a road project - something I'll work on while away from home and not involved with anything else.

All is well.

Proposal about 50% complete. File size is about half of Ver. 7.0 - far less than anticipated but still rather hefty. Should be completed no later than the first part of next week - surprising, since Ver. 7.0 took about six weeks before it failed.

Ver 8.0, a seriously truncated version destined for personal use and developmental purposes only, is in ths concept/design stage. If successful, it may be expanded as Ver. 8.1.

While building the scaled-down version of this file I found that it never should have taken up as much computer resources as it did - either disc space or RAM. Somewhere in the file there was something - an error of some type - causing it to occupy much more of these resources than it should have - or was necessary.

I have no idea what it was - nor will I expend the amount of time and/or effort necessary to look for it. It will be rebuilt from the beginning. All traces of the original version have been erased and discarded. At least I might be more familiar with any errors that may occur while building the new file.

The new version will not take nearly as much time to construct as the old.

Submissal was almost complete, but proved too large for computer resources. With 4Gb RAM and a 500 Gb hard drive I didn't think this would be the case. At least I'm familiar with its limits now. Submissal to be scaled back but must be rebuilt almost from the start. Client reports Ver 6.3 still undergoing testing but looking good so far.

Home and back to work - tough trip. Some of the events that happened on this trip will never happen again, thank goodness. Best described as a disaster.

 Off tomorrow AM for Pittsburgh PA, pick up my tournament partner, then off to Detroit MI for a pinochle tournament. Then back to Pittsburgh for a couple weeks of family visits and R & R. I'm taking the laptop as usual, so will get some work done - and I'll be online sporadically.